


Sanctity

by Catsitta



Series: Assorted Oneshots [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angel!Blue, Angels, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Forbidden Love, M/M, Probably inaccurate depictions of angel lore, Slow Burn, Soldier!Edge, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Alphys (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, War Era, edgeberry, minor depictions of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 00:57:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsitta/pseuds/Catsitta
Summary: He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with the mortal.Edgeberry | Angel!Blue x Soldier!Edge | Oneshot





	Sanctity

**Author's Note:**

> There is a distinct lack of Edgeberry fanfiction. There needs to be more Edgeberry. This is also one of my 'odder' fanfic concepts in my roster. Enjoy!

Rose-gold sunlight filtered through the haze of lingering smoke, the stench of sodden earth mingling with that of sweat and blood. The tang of of death and magic rested bitter on the tongue, each inhalation a reminder of the savagery of mortal wars. Blue landed beside a shifting, groaning form, his white wings shimmering against the backdrop of dawn. The human couldn’t see him, and perhaps that was the best, given Blue’s chosen form was that of a skeleton, a rather haunting vision to a creature that preferred its bones on the inside. With a murmur, Blue set to work, mending what wounds he could, and offering blessings to those that he had no capacity to save. He wasn’t a powerful angel. Perhaps one day he could ascend the ranks and become a Power, but for now, he was a Guardian. 

Through the morning, Blue moved across the battlefield, saddened by the blood and dust caked dirt. His breath hitched when he came upon something he didn’t think he’d see this day. A living monster. His brethren were slaughtered, pitifully weak against the determination in the human spirit. But he lived. Tall and angular, clad in tattered armor, the skeleton monster looked so...fragile...laid out amongst the decay. And he was scarred. Horrifically. One side of his skull was split open, three long gashes carved across the socket, and his exposed bones were littered with chips and scars. 

Blue reached down and brushed the side of his face, brow furrowing when he noticed how difficult it was to mend this broken monster. He squinted, focusing on seeing his soul, and nearly wept at the ugliness of it. So much LOVE and EXP. This monster was a battle-hardened soldier, his very inner self calloused and calcified with his sins, and yet, despite it all, there was light. Hope. He’d rarely seen a mortal with more of it. He let his gaze slide to the deepest intentions of the self.

 

**EDGE**  
*Must survive this. Who else will protect his brother?

 

A brother. He was fighting a war and clinging to life for another. But why? Attachments of this kind are foreign to him, he who was born to serve his Lord. From what he could glean from his soul, Edge sullied himself beyond salvation for the sake of...what? Love? Duty? Honor? Blue laid a palm over the skeleton’s chest. His fellow angels would likely leave a condemned creature such as he to his fate, but like with all the mortals here, he ignored the LV and coaxed his wounds to mend. As he began to feel faint once more, Blue lifted his hand and began to rise, startling as Edge stirred. Red eyelights flickered into dark sockets, burning like embers from the pits of hell. He blinked blearily up at the sky (at blue? No. Mortals almost never saw angels unless said angels wished to be seen). 

“Who...who are you?” Edge rasped, a trembling arm reaching for Blue. He froze. “You...here to finish me off?” The accusation should have stung, but Blue was more baffled at being seen than anything else. An unintended after effect of the healing? He forced himself to relax. The monster was dazed. He’d forget ever seeing Blue in the coming days. Likely dismiss him as an illusion. A fever dream. There was no harm in offering comfort.

“The battle is over, soldier. I am simply here to wake you.”

Blue stepped back.

Aware of the way the mortal marveled at him.

Glorious was he in his divinity.

He’d done his duty here. Served his Lord as he was created to do. With a little faith and luck, perhaps a few more mortals would return home to family. A tragedy, truly, this needless fighting between man and monster.

 

.

 

It is rare for Blue to see a mortal more than once in their lifetime. 

Like most Guardian angels, he spent his days in service in the mortal realm. Some Guardians protected an individual or their family. Others heralded messages from the heavens. But Blue never assigned himself a particular person, nor had another given him that duty. Rather, he spent his time in an almost aimless pursuit of purpose, often arriving upon battlefields and mending survivors enough to endure until rescue. His mentor, Alphys, assured him that he’d come into his own some day, that as long as he followed where his soul led him, he’d experience revelation. 

Today he arrived, not to the aftermath of a battlefield like normal, but at a marketplace. It was a shabby but bustling plaza. Haggard faces and ragged clothes were the norm, the occasional splash of colorful fabric or the gleam of armor dotting the crowd. Blue landed. The scent of spices and herbs hung thick on the air.

“Close your eyes, sweetie, don’t look at him. Monsters like that aint right.”

Blue cast a quizzical look at the mother and child hurrying past him, the mother glancing nervously behind. He followed her gaze and his wings flared a little. There, arguing (haggling?) with a vendor was Edge. How long had it been since Blue saw him? Days? Weeks? Years? Time meant little to him. All he could gather was that Edge was very much alive. His LV a cold aura about him that any monster could sense. Edge pushed away from the stall, shoving a bottle into the basket on his arm, muttering under his breath as he sulked off. Blue watched him. He should leave. Go find more wounded to heal. That was his purpose until he came into his revelation.

He spread his wings and alit into the air.

And followed the monster.

 

.

 

Edge lived in a tiny house at the outskirts of town. 

The property around it had a wrestled into submission look to it, like it was overgrown until just recently. The windows were boarded shut and the door had a fair more locks than seemed necessary. Edge slipped inside and slammed the wooden barrier shut behind him. Paint flaked off from the force. Blue knew he should move on. He shouldn’t linger. But after a moment of waiting, he passed through the wall unimpeded. There was only one room. Which meant Blue had an instant view of all that the soldier called his own. It was sparse and practical, with few signs of creature comforts beyond the bundle of quilts in the middle of the floor.

Blue drifted closer. Wrapped up in the blankets was a small skeleton monster with a toothy grin and a dusty complexion. He CHECKED him.

 

**RED**  
*He is Falling Down

 

Unlike Edge, who possessed an astounding wellspring of Hope, Red had a single point. Fallen monsters didn’t get up for the simple fact that it was almost impossible to recover HP once one gave up on living. Edge was protecting a breathing corpse. Again, the question sprang to mind: Why?

Footsteps signalled the taller skeleton’s approach. He knelt at Red’s side and propped a flask to his teeth, “Lazybones. You can’t sleep forever.” The roughness of his voice didn’t match the gentleness of his hands. He trembled. “Not after everything...Everything we’ve lived through. You have to wake up.” Red gave no sign of rousing. Edge set the bottle to the side and laid on top of the blankets, curling his form around his brother’s, the picture of a lost child clinging to all he had left of his innocence. He struck Blue as terribly young. Too young for his LV and scars, but wearing them all the same. 

Blue watched. He watched for what was possibly hours, until Edge’s breathing evened out and he was undeniably asleep. “I should go,” the angel murmured to himself, but instead he crept closer, touching Edge’s skull. The tension writ on his skull eased. Blue laid a palm on Red’s chest. He couldn’t stop a monster from Falling. It wasn’t within his capacity of healing nor blessing. But he offered what magic he could regardless. 

 

.

 

He should have left the mortal’s home. Never returned. But each time Blue strayed, he found himself drawn back. He even returned to the heavens in an attempt to shake the pull he felt. Upon confiding in Alphys his dismay, she laughed, clapping him on the back with a clawed hand. “You’re a guardian angel, kid! It’s not a bad thing you want to watch over some mortal. Congrats, you’re experiencing your first revelation. You’re on your way to bigger things. Before you know it you may even be able to perform miracles for the mortals.” Blue refrained from confessing that said mortal had a damnable amount of sins crawling on his back. He doubted she would have encouraged him should she have known. “Now get back out there! Be the most Magnificent Blue you can be.”

So he went back to the mortal world.

Back to Edge and Red.

Each day he followed the tall skeleton out into town as he tried to adapt to life after service as a soldier. War still rippled around them. It was obvious that the humans were going to be victorious. Too many monster casualties. Blue wondered why Edge wasn’t out there fighting for his people. He struggled to obtain traditional work. Then again, if he was off to war, who would take care of his Fallen brother? Blue pondered the curious contradiction of it all.

When evenings came and both brothers slept, Blue sat beside them, eyelights fixed on their souls. One barely beating, the other pounding so viciously that it was amazing it didn’t leap from Edge’s chest. It became a ritual to ease Edge’s soulbeat and to pour healing magic into the pair. Each time nothing changed. There was no altering the scars Violence reaped nor mending another’s will to live.

 

.

 

Peace was a short-lived thing in a time of war.

It laid its ruinous teeth into everyone. Everything. Blue had been watching the brothers for almost thirty consecutive sunrises when screams split the predawn silence. Edge leapt to his feet, summoned weapon instantly in hand. The air thickened with menace and fear. “No. No. NO!” Edge ripped through the small home and dragged his armor from a chest. He strapped himself in as the screams grew louder, the reek of fire clotting the senses. He looked between his brother and the door. Shivering. 

Blue felt a throb in his chest.

A hum.

“Go, Edge. Do as you must. I will keep your brother safe, I swear.” The oath rang like a bell, and though the taller skeleton couldn’t see him, couldn’t have possibly heard him, his soul understood. He dragged his brother into a corner, made him as small and sheltered as possible in his bundle of blankets, before charging out of the house. Blue waved a hand over the locks and windows. It wasn’t much, just a mild deterrent to keep the eyes away if they wished harm. Then he summoned a spear and stood vigil at the center of the room. 

On and on, the noise of battle raged. Deafening. 

His wings twitched with the want to go outside. To make sure that Edge wasn’t dust upon the street. But he remained. Just as he promised. The hour was late when the sounds faded out, but Blue didn’t relax his guard. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. Then he smelled it. Smoke. The house was on fire. Blue whipped around to stare at Red’s never moving form. Helpless. Edge would be devastated by him dying this way—no doubt blame himself for leaving to fight when he could have remained, thinking of all the different reasons he should have stayed at home. Blue shouldn’t meddle. But he promised. And he was an angel of his word. So Blue climbed on top of Red and encased them both in his wings, chanting protections, cleansing the air between them so that it remained clean, willed the fires to skirt around them. 

There was a creak and snap. Charred wood fell inches from their forms. The building was collapsing. Blue clung to Red. Sweat beaded on his skull. His body quivered with concentration and strain. A shaft of scalding pain impaled his left wing. Anchored was he to the mortal plain by his protections, making him vulnerable to its suffering. He wouldn’t die. Couldn’t. Not from fire or falling debris. But he wasn’t a powerful angel. There was only so much he could do. He clung to Red. Pushed away the agony as fire licked up his feathers. As the heat singed his earthly shell. Blue clamped his sockets shut, his consciousness failing. If he tumbled beneath the black, his protections would fade. He had to remain strong! For Red. For Edge. 

Edge...

“RED!” That voice rang out like a miracle from his Lord. His soul pulsed and hummed with joy, like a thousand bells and choir singers in harmony. Blue smiled. He did it. He kept his vow. He protected Red. He rose up from where he laid, keeping his wings arched high and watched as Edge tore his way to his brother’s side. His sockets widened with disbelief. “How…?” Liquid magic sprang to the corners of his sockets as he gathered Red up and literally threw them both through a window, the charred wood barricading it giving way. The siblings tumbled and Edge let out a ragged laugh as he clambered to his feet. “Alive. You’re alive.”

Blue landed behind them, awash with satisfaction.

Magnificent. He felt truly magnificent.

Edge cast a glance back at the burning house, his eyes at first skipping over Blue as mortals were apt to do. But then they focused back on him, fuzzy with confusion. Blue wondered once more how Edge saw him, but he didn’t try to hard to fix it. Instead he let the mortal observe his wounded shell, false bones charred and white wings shredded and stained grey from smoke. Gold ichor leaked from chips and cuts. He’d heal. His injuries were not divine—the flames that burned him neither holy nor hellish.

The mortal blinked with disbelief and once more, Blue faded from his vision.

 

.

 

It was an unwise thing, choosing to reveal himself to a mortal. There were moments where Edge saw him, but to walk upon the earth as if a monster born of it...was advised against. No rule disallowed it. As long as he did not show or speak of his divinity, he was at liberty to interact with the mortal world as they did, if it better allowed him to serve his duties. Despite knowing he was not in the wrong, he knew in his core it wasn’t duty that urged him to assume a physical, visible body. 

Without wings, he looked like an average monster.

There was no reason for them to look upon him with suspicion. 

Still, Blue shifted his weight, ill at ease, aware of the vulnerabilities of this shell...the questions he couldn’t answer of why he put himself in such a way. He second-guessed himself every minute he spent roaming the the half-empty plaza, both vendors and customers skittish from the recent fighting. It would take a long time to rebuild their lives. Regain a sense of peace. Blue shook his head, ready to abandon this foolish fancy when he bumped into a mortal’s body. He blinked up, an apology light on his tongue, when he saw who it was he walked into in his daze. 

“You—” Edge began, before frowning, his mind not quite able to cling to the slippery image that he tried to call to the surface. “You...look familiar. Have we met?” There was gravel and smoke in his voice and dark rings of fatigue burned beneath his sockets. Blue knew he wasn’t eating enough; barely slept, even while holding his brother to assure himself the smaller skeleton was indeed still alive. 

It was a sin to lie. “Yes.” And his mind would adapt the truth, a consequence of it not being able to understand the nature of angels. “I healed you once on a battlefield. You were the only monster to survive.”

“A healer...I don’t...Why did you leave me there?”

Blue offered a small, quiet smile and a hand, “If you have the time, I will answer your questions as I can...but it is crowded here. May I request that we walk?” Edge eyed him with overt suspicion and adjusted the basket on his arm. 

“Very well.”

It was easy enough to spin a tale with enough truth that the mortal didn’t hurt himself trying to question it. He simply walked in near silence beside Blue, body tight with tension, yet leaning close. His soul knew Blue even if his mind did not remember. Could not remember. It was strange, this whole affair. A walk. Talking. As if Blue were some nurse attempting to make a difference in a bleak world, and Edge was the patient he kept saving against his better sensibilities. When they reached where Red and Edge were temporarily living, homeless after the fire, dependent on the merciful generosity of their neighbors, Blue decided that he was at peace with his choice. He could go back to his silent guardianship of the pair content. He’d never interacted with a mortal like this before. With anyone, really...outside of Alphys. 

Lonely life would be if not for his work.

“I never caught your name,” Edge said, stopping Blue before he could slip off. The smaller skeleton glanced up at the taller. There was something odd about his expression. A careful, fragile something. Like if Blue were to tread to heavily he’d break a piece of him irreparably. Was it trust? High LV monsters weren’t know for it. Then again, they also weren’t known for the kind of pure hope that sang so clearly in Edge’s soul. 

The angel tapped the side of his skull, as if chiding himself for being so forgetful, then posed as he often did for Alphys, “How improper of me. I am the Magnificent Blue! Mwehehe!”

Edge grunted and looked away, “Blue. Ah, may I inquire if you will be in town long? And if you would mind another turn around town?” How curious. He should say no. That this was the last day he would be here, never to be seen again but…

“I might have the time.”

 

.

 

They met in the marketplace once a week.

It shouldn’t have happened more than once, more than twice.

If they hadn’t kept meeting, Blue wouldn’t have seen that poor, injured dog and felt compelled to heal it. Nobody would have seen him mend up the pup with what they perceived as a grand gift. Few monsters had the talent for healing creatures other than their own kind, and most who could did through cooking food. In a little town left scarred by war, there were people aplenty in want of healing. People willing to offer up their last coin or loaf of bread for a miracle. 

He should have told them no. Should have told Edge he had to leave, that duty called him away. But he saw the look of awe on his skull and found the words impossible to speak. 

So their meeting in the marketplace turned into a walk to the chapel. 

It turned into Blue taking up residence in town like some mortal.

He healed those that came. He spoke to human doctors and medicine makers. The people treated him with awe. Like he was a blessing, ignorant to the truth. Blue knew he should leave. Shouldn’t linger among the mortals, even if just to heal, as was his duty. But each time he considered leaving, Edge would visit, that odd look in his eyesockets. 

What struck Blue as odd, was that through this whole event, Edge never once mentioned the poor health of his brother. Again, this left Blue wondering why.

 

.

 

“I don’t like the look of that skeleton.”

“He’s not one to be trusted. I don’t know how Healer Blue stands him.”

“Pity, perhaps?”

“Must be. Why else would such a pure soul subject himself to someone so damaged? War changes monsters in a bad way. We aint made for killing.”

“With luck Blue will see him for what he is and stop dallying with him.”

“You talk like they’re courting.”

“I wouldn't put it above that skeleton to manipulate Blue into something more. He's the type to prey on innocents. I can see it.”

The voices moved away, leaving a certain angel with only his thoughts as company. He laid a palm over his sternum, willing the ache to fade. Edge had been nothing but good outside the battlefield. Kind? Perhaps not to everyone, but even a common hound knows when they're not wanted around. Fear and hate breeds more. And Edge was the sort to snarl and bite if pushed into a corner.

 

.

 

“You’re late,” Edge said as Blue arrived at their meeting place. “I was wondering if you would miss today.” He shuffled, gangly limbs held rigid, like he didn’t know what to do with them. Not for the first nor would it be for the last time, it occured to Blue how young the skeleton was for the sins be bore. An adult but barely. The math he did in his head suggested that the military didn’t care to confirm whether the bodies they sent to war were of age. Not when they were as tall and imposing as Edge. 

Blue cupped his elbow and started to lead them on their routine walk, “I’m terribly sorry. I had a patient come in right before the bell. Forgive me?”

Edge chuckled, “Nothing to forgive.”

And they walked.

.

 

Blue held the purse for Edge to take. He needed no mortal food nor wealth, and yet he'd come into it despite his best efforts to remain generous. Even in his charity, work for healing came, and with it men who willfully offered large sums. He thought to turn it down or bid for them to donate to the church, but his mind traveled to Edge and his recent trials. It was hard for him to find work amongst the suspicious monsters who judged him by his crimson magic and not his actions. Though by now most knew of the state of his brother. How he ailed. The crueler of the gossips openly blamed Edge for Red Falling.

Edge never defended himself.

“You need it more than I,” Blue said, making his eyelights starry. “It isn't much, but it should get any food or medicines you've been needing.” The soldier was skipping meals. His market trips smaller and smaller. Yet each day Blue watched him feed Red. If this continued, someday he would have nothing to offer his brother as well as dangerously low mana reserves. Edge's expression darkened. There was a dangerous chill to his aura. “Edge?”

He slapped the purse from Blue's hand, sending copper coins scattering in the dirt, “I DON'T NEED YOUR CHARITY!” Then he whirled, thundering off like a blizzard. The angel frowned, picking up the coins. An outburst like that most would claim was his LV acting up, making him show his true colors. But there was a pang of something frightened and desperate in the song his soul sang. How could Blue offering him money scare him, a monster who saw the wickedness of mankind and their wars and lived to survive in the aftermath?

He followed Edge to where he sheltered, careful to conceal himself, and phased through the wall. There were numerous others trapped here by circumstance and poverty. Yet Edge had a corner alone to himself and his brother. The tall skeleton crawled onto the sleeping mat with Red and curled around him, magic once more wet on his cheekbones. 

Blue slumped on the floor beside them, sleepless as always through the night.

 

.

“I would like to apologize. I didn't mean to offend you,” Blue said when they met next. Edge didn't avoid their usual meeting, to his relief and surprise. Though he was distracted. His wandering eyelights said it all. “I hope I didn't ruin our…” He paused, unsure how he felt about bestowing familiarity onto a mortal. Likening the same as Alphys in his soul. “Friendship.” It felt right saying it aloud. Yet wrong. Like it wasn't able to encompass the complexities of what this was between them. Edge was a catalyst in his Revelation. The mortal that called to the deepest parts of his magic to act as guide and guardian. That kept him from wandering aimless across the world in hopes of finding purpose. One-sided, though it may be, friendship suddenly seemed a shallow pond when what he sought to encapsulate was an ocean. 

“Friendship?” The way Edge echoed the word rang hollow, not bitter or cutting, but void of energy entirely. “I see.”

Blue nodded, on unfamiliar ground once more with the mortal. He fiddled with the length of cyan fabric wrapped around his shoulders, a wealthy trader bestowed it upon him in exchange for his services. He hadn't known what to do with it until Edge wrapped the cloth around his neck like his own scarf, and mentioned how it matched his eyelights. The angel didn't like the silence. He wondered if this was what their meetings would forever be…Blue caught the way Edge crossed his arms and dipped his head in the corner of his vision. Helpless. He looked so helpless.

“If you won't accept charity, what about work?” Blue ventured, aching at how the skeleton eyed him with distrust. Perhaps friendship was too strong a word for what Edge felt. And here he thought mortals were the emotional ones. “I'm not blind nor deaf. I know you need something stable. Not just for yourself but for your brother.” Edge growled. “People come from all around to be healed and I've found myself in an auspicious position to...Edge?” The soldier loomed. When did they end up in this alleyway? A lesser being might have quailed at the sight, but Blue peered up at the larger monster with all the trust he could muster. 

“I never took you for the type,” Edge muttered, caging the angel between his form and the wall. A gloved palm dropped to skim the top of Blue's iliac crest, featherlight. Heat suffused Blue's skull. Oooooh my. Had something he said been lost in cultural translation? “Suppose you might even be thinking you're being altruistic with your offer. I'd be a fool to turn down the meals you'd put in my brother's mouth with winter coming and my own pockets lean. They can't look at me. None of them except...you. Good little you and your kindness and humility and your claims at charity.” He shoved Blue against the wall. Held him there by the hips. He lowered his skull, eyesockets full of brimstone and hellfire, as if already sentenced to damnation by his own volition. He burned. That calloused soul of his crying out for salvation. “But like all the others, you remind me, nothing in this world is free. It comes with a cost.”

“Ah, y-yes. Well, I mean, you need money. I should have known that you wouldn't feel right accepting it without earning it somehow. With a little help I'm sure I can accept more patients and…”

“A pretty fantasy, but we both know the monsters you heal wouldn't tolerate my presence. They can barely tolerate our association. Like I'll infect them through you.” Denial died a short death on his breath. He'd not make a liar of himself by protesting. “No, if I were to work for you it would not be as your aid. And we both know I am not in a position to deny whatever it is you wish of me in return. Does it please you to have me lay down my pride at your feet? A dog willing to be whipped for scraps.” His voice curled like smoke and drowned like a glacial river. He shivered. “What use am I to anyone beyond my body? The same one I sacrificed to the losing side of a war for the very monsters that loathe the reminder of it. What is your whim? To lay beneath you, quiet and compliant? Are you hoping I’ll cry or fight?”

“E-edge I think you've misunderstood me. I'm not...I would never…You think I want to buy you...f-for illicit purposes? I'd never dishonor you like that!” Blue tried to wriggle away, noting the way Edge's sockets widened. But instead of releasing Blue, he redoubled his efforts, holding him against the wall and...and dropping to his knees. They were skull-to-skull in this position. 

“Don't leave,” he sounded small. Fire replaced with a sputter. “Please, I…I don't...I have nothing left to give but myself. We both know this. Companionship is...not…shameful. I'd not mind if it was you whom I kept company.”

“I...I don’t want that of you. Please, please get up. Edge…” Blue found himself frightened by the song Edge’s soul wept. He peered at the monster, focused his sight and froze. What was wrong with his Hope? Why was his HP dropping like that? Dawning realization smoothed the angles of Edge’s skull and he scrambled up, releasing Blue like he’d been burned. His seduction failed on both fronts—both to convince Blue to accept his advances for money, as well as to assure himself he was content with such an arrangement. The numbers and words spun before Blue’s sockets. Pride and desperation collided with...hopelessness. 

Most of the monsters that fought in the war, died in it.

Even if he were to leave town, humans wouldn’t want much to do with a monster like himself, and monsters wouldn’t want him around either. He was living off of the temporary generosity extended to all the impoverished right now. There would come a day it would end. He’d be homeless, hungry and unable to earn a living outside of bloodshed. To latch onto Blue and his ‘charity’ was the impulsive grab of a drowning man in want of one last gulp of air before the ocean dragged him under. 

“I’m sorry,” Edge muttered. 

Down. Down. Down. 

“Edge...what would you do if something happened to Red?” Without the constraints of his condition, it was feasible that Edge could possibly travel and find some kind of laboring position. The kind that were more likely to kill him than not, but he’d be able to feed himself. 

The skeleton gave a bitter laugh, “As you’ve made so evident, I only have Red. He needs me. Nobody else does.” 

“You really think that?”

“I should go.”

“Edge, wait!” Blue lunged forward as the taller went to leave, grabbing his arm with his angelic strength. His soul cried to do something. That he was failing his mortal. His chest hurt. It hurt so bad. His mortal. His mortal. HIS mortal. “I...I need you.”

“No you don’t. Now release me!” Edge tried to wrench free, but found his arm caught in a grip that even someone as strong as he could not break. Though people thought the devil of him, he wasn’t a creature of Hades. He was broken and cracked and bruised, but Blue could see it, that grain of good that outshined it all. “I will hurt you, Blue.”

The angel laughed, low and harsh, “No. No you won’t. You can’t. Edge, if you won’t live for yourself, then tell me what it is you’ll live for? Will you live for me? Will you live for children? What about a home?” He couldn’t promise Red. Because Red was already on borrowed time. 

“STOP ACTING LIKE THIS! YOU’RE NOT A SAINT OR SOME MARTYR.” No. He was an angel. An angel who felt something beautiful and terrible in himself. “I DON’T NEED YOUR PITY.”

“Edge, just stop. Edge. Edge! Stars and moon above, I LOVE YOU.” Love. A love beyond that for his brothers. A love that burned more greatly than that which he felt for his Lord. It was an awful, sinful, cursed feeling. Yet here he remained, clinging to the mortal which made his soul ache in a way it never should, because despite the horribleness of it, giving his love a name made him all the lighter. “I love you.”

They locked gazes and Edge yanked him arm free of Blue’s lax grasp.

“No. No you don’t. You can’t. I’m not worth it.”

Blue watched him walk away.

 

.

 

“heh. you look like you’ve got a lot on your mind, kiddo.”

Blue scrambled up from where he sat, gazing down upon the village from the roof of the chapel. Perched next to him was an angel that called himself Sans. Rare was it to see said angel away from the heavens, his presence more spoken about than seen amongst the Orders. Some claimed he was a Virtue. Others a Dominion. Others go as far as to label him amongst the Cherubim. Though all knew him more simply as The Judge. He who knew the Truth of all souls. Who fought in the first War between the Divine—and now refused to fight again until the End of Days.

A choked noise escaped Blue as he tried to give Sans a proper greeting, and Sans chuckled. His form reflected Blue’s. Did he always look this way or was it any part of him being Sans? The older angel gave a nonchalant wave, bidding him to sit back down, “so, a mortal, huh?” His sockets went large as he stared at Sans, trembling. This was it. His Lord and his Brothers knew. They knew of his sin. And here was The Judge to banish him from the heavens. A hand laid on his shoulder, “not gonna try to fib-ula?”

“I would never lie!” Blue burst out. He covered his face.

Sans sighed, “when monsterkind was young, an angel jaded by war met a skeleton. and this skeleton was good. so very good. he shined with hope and the belief that anyone who wanted to be a better person, could be. the mortal challenged the angel by daring to claim that even he could be better. as if he had vice in his soul. and the angel became terribly, terribly angry. and cast judgement. a mortal as arrogant as he would surely fall to sin, a victim of his own hubris.”

“What happened to them?”

“...the mortal died. the angel watched him for a decades, waiting for him to fall...and in the end, he died, as as mortal things do...innocent. upon his deathbed, the angel showed himself to the mortal again, and the skeleton smiled. and thanked him. because of that one meeting, that careless judgement, he lived his whole life not for his own happiness, but to prove to the angel that anyone could be a good and better person. like he mattered.”

Sans’ voice deepened, “and as the mortal faded to dust, the angel realized the darkness in himself and what the mortal saw that day. and he wept.” He shifted beside Blue, “you remind me of that monster, blue. since your creation i saw him in you. tell me, kid, what do you see in your mortal?”

Blue looked at him, still trembling, “...Hope. And good. So much good.”

Sans patted him again and stood, “whelp, i know all i need to. there’s no guiding you away from this path. your soul has chosen.”

“N-no. Please, I...I’m sorry. I know I’ve done wrong by falling in love with him, but please don’t cast me out. I’ll repent. I’ll—” Sans caught Blue by the wrists as he pleaded, a flicker of gold and cyan gleaming in his left socket. The younger angel went limp, dropping to his knees, head bowed. “Please. He...He’s going to die.”

“all mortals die.”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry.”

Sans released Blue and slid a ring from his finger, holding out for Blue to take, “...here.” When Blue hesitated, he floated it to him, using his magic to close his palm around the token. “you haven’t fallen yet, kid.” He stepped backwards and then tipped off the roof of the chapel, vanishing from sight in the span of a breath. Still rattling from his encounter with the other angel, Blue peered at the ring. 

Engraved on the inside of the band was the phrase: _In memory of Papyrus._

 

.

 

Blue hid the ring beneath his gloves and visited Alphys. 

She didn’t call him out for his affections for the mortal. As if she didn’t know of his folly. In fact, none of the others acted as if he’d done anything amiss. There were greetings from his peers and Alphys tested his strength, and then, he was ushered back to the Surface. He rubbed his thumb over the concealed band. What was he to do now? A proper Guardian would go back to observe his mortal and never reveal himself again. Let Edge live and die as he was meant to, without divine interruption. Blue made a condemnable mistake. To walk again with the monsters and humans with the awareness of improper love in his soul, was foolishness. 

In the end, he chose to avoid Edge.

He didn’t stray far, but he didn’t seek out the mortal. He tried to let the feelings he felt fade into the shallow numbness of before. When he cared only for his work and his Lord and nothing else. Where he healed out of sympathy and pity, not because he wished to carve a place for himself in a world ruled by trade and riches. The days began to shorten and cool by the time he dared to look upon Edge again. No longer did he live in the temporary housing offered to those that suffered in the battle and fires. Instead he huddled in the shadow of a building, clutching his brother close.

Blue shuddered.

All he wanted was for Edge to be happy. 

He loved him so, so much.

Tears crept down his cheekbones. His breathing became short and shallow. It wasn’t fair! Why, why, why did this have to happen? His Lord had to know that Blue wasn’t strong enough to handle these feelings. To experience a revelation and love and grief all at once. Why was this his path? His Lord’s Plan? To choose between his devotion and love. 

“I love you,” Blue murmured. He dropped to his knees before Edge and reached a hand towards him. “I would give anything for you to be happy. I’d give up my own sancity if it meant you’d find a reason to live for yourself.” But he couldn’t do that. To love this mortal would only corrupt him in the end. He’d fall prey to the vices of hell, and be no closer to this mortal than he was now. There was even a chance he’d lose himself so much he’d kill Edge for the pleasure of it. As his hand fell upon a sleeping Edge’s shoulder, Blue’s soul constricted with a sharp, painful chill. He could intimately feel every sin crawling down the skeleton’s back.

Judgement.

The ring burned around his finger, hot with holy magic. Blue feared it would burst into flames and consume them both. But instead, the pain faded to a dull throb, and Blue felt so very, very weak. Crimson eyelights sprung into dark sockets, “Blue?”

“Edge.”

They stared at each other, wordless. Then the bundle in Edge’s arms began to shift, and they both held their breath, in awe of what could only be named a Miracle. Red woke up. His eyelights were fuzzy with confusion as he gazed up at his brother, “boss? why ya lookin’ at me like that?” Edge buried his face against Red’s chest and held fast. The Awoken monster struggled, clearly not understand his brother’s distress. 

“HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU ACT LIKE YOU DON’T KNOW!” Edge sobbed. “I can’t believe you hate me so much.”

“hate?”

“YOU TOOK ONE LOOK AT ME AND WANTED TO DIE! WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK, RED?”

Red twisted to look at Blue, who gave a strained smile. He wasn’t sure if he could stand. His whole body felt like it was about to crumble apart any moment. “Welcome back, Red, you’ve been asleep a long time.” Blue tried pushing to his feet, but as he did so, his vision began to spark and spin. Then the bottom fell out and all went dark.

 

.

 

Blue woke in the chapel, in the very cot he healed patients in. He remained weaker than a kitten, unable to lift his head, and without an explanation for how he came to be here. His thoughts were a muddle, jumping and twisting an incomprehensible blur. He...he was—is?—a healer. That much he knew for certain. And there was Edge and his brother woke up and...he groaned. As he shifted, he noticed something was off. He wiggled his toes and his fingers. One. Two. Three. Four. Five… Five. He had five fingers. He lolled his skull to the side, trailing his left arm from shoulder, to elbow to wrist. There at the end was a bundle of bandages where a hand was supposed to be.

“You’re awake.”

“Edge!” His soul fluttered at the sight of the skeleton he loved. He saw a glint of polished metal passing between Edge’s fingers as he fiddled with it. A ring. Why did...His muddled thoughts danced and twirled until he was left with a blush settling on his cheekbones. “Oh, y-you found it.”

“The priest discovered it in your glove.”

A pause fell between them, “I...I didn’t know how else to show that I was honest about my intentions towards you. That I love you.”

“...You healed my brother.”

“Nobody can heal someone who’s Fallen. He woke up.”

“You nearly killed yourself with magic exertion for what you thought would have no result?”

“...All I have is my healing...you both looked so sick, I had to try to help.”

“My brother woke up.”

“Yes.”

“What do you intend now that he has woken?”

“My intentions remain the same.”

“...You’re a fool.”

“Yes.”

Edge leaned down and brushed their skulls together.

 

.

 

A year passed with startling speed. Between a hasty, private marriage, building a new life as a family of three, and the arrival of a fourth addition, there was little time to dither. Red worked with Blue to establish a private practice in town, and Edge, to all of their surprise, despite the state of his soul, conceived a souling with Blue. It was quite the shock when their mingling magics solidified into a new monster.

Cradling their child while Edge and Red slept, Blue wandered from their home into the garden. As he enjoyed the early morning air, a couple strolled by, obviously taking advantage of the pleasant weather. One was a skeleton monster and the other and the other was a buff, yellow lizard. They were chatting, but upon spotting Blue, the lizard strayed from the skeleton to march up to the fence. “HEY YOU! YOU THAT HEALER BLUE?” She was about as loud as Edge when he was in a mood. Unfazed and a bit amused, Blue nodded and drew closer. The lizard gasped when she saw the babybones in his arms. “NO WAY! YOU HAVE A KID? WHAT’S THEIR NAME?”

“alph, breathe, before you wake the kid,” her friend chuckled as he joined her at the fence. “sorry about her. we skeleton monsters aint a common lot, so she didn’t believe me when i told her we don’t pop outta the soul fully grown.”

“It’s fine. I understand the curiosity. Ah, here. Have a better look at him. His name is Papyrus, and he looks just like my partner, which hopefully means he’ll get his height.”

Neither of them knew why, but the moment they laid their sockets on him they knew it was the right name. Their little miracle child.

“that look on your face...that’s the look of a monster who’s got all he could ever want in the world.”

Blue laughed, “You’re not wrong.”

“never am,” he winked a socket.

As the two monsters wandered away, Blue smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Fin
> 
> .
> 
> NOTES:  
> +It is implied that Sans has some kind of foresight, a reference of sorts to the game where is mentions the existence of other timelines. 
> 
> +The ring Sans gives Blue is a 'blessing.' He can bestow/create miracles. Miracles often being associated with angels. 
> 
> +At the end of the fic, Blue is no longer an angel. Though he remains a strong healer, the blessed ring used his sanctity to feed the miracle. His conversation with Edge is an example of mortals being unable to comprehend divine, as is earlier mentioned in the fic, because it makes more logical sense for him to have gotten a ring to give Edge as a gift than for a fellow angel to have given it to him on a rooftop.
> 
> +If Blue were able to still see LV and EXP, he would see that Edge's have gone down.
> 
> +The engraving on the ring did disappear.
> 
> +In the original draft of this fic, Blue asked Edge to marry him while still an angel and before he knows he loves him, because he feels as if that would be the only way to save Edge and Red.
> 
> +It is implied that falling in love with mortals doesn't automatically result in an Angel falling, and that Sans himself may have realized deeper feelings for Papyrus upon his death.
> 
> +It is implied that the shock of seeing what happened to his brother after the war caused Red to Fall Down. He never had great Hope and felt like such a failure when he saw his baby bro with so much LV. He couldn't live with the guilt.


End file.
